Wings Ministry hosts three parties a year: a Christmas, Easter, and a
Back-To-School Party, hoping to reach families at important times
throughout the year. The parties are held in sponsoring churches in
different parts of the city and in different denominations. All
participants in Wings, whether they are inmate’s family members or
church volunteers, enjoy the interaction of Christians working together
from many different denominations.

Wings Ministry strives to build quality relationships and strong
values in teenagers.
Search Institute
®
in Minneapolis has identified
40 Developmental Assets
®
that are necessary for healthy growth in
teenagers. Wings provides an arena for effective ways to rebuild assets
in the lives of our young people, which can greatly reduce or prevent
their involvement in at-risk behaviors.

The guardians and caregivers of the inmate’s children have time to
meet with church and community leaders and volunteers. Contacts are made
that can enable future support for the families and invitations are
extended to the families to attend worship services of congregations in
their neighborhoods. Inmate’s families are welcomed and encouraged
to find a church home.

The Prison Family Bill of Rights, affirmed
in 2012 and adopted in 2013 by the National Prisoner's Family Conference resonates with Wings' core values.

Why Wings?

Wings springs from the passion of caring Christians and the deep concern we have to
minister to families of prisoners who have been largely shunned or ignored by our
society.

In our society where children are all at risk in one way or another, children whose
parent(s) are in prison, face even more challenges.

Why is a program like Wings so necessary today?

— Over 3.5 million Americans are being supervised by the
correctional system.

— The estimated cost to incarcerate an individual varies from
$32,000 per year to over $130,000 per year!

— America spends over $30 billion a year to incarcerate prisoners.

— Children of prisoners are 6 – 8 times more likely to become
incarcerated themselves. They are at critical risk of dropping out of
school, getting involved in violence, and teen pregnancy, due to the fact
that most of them are living in poverty-stricken, high crime areas with
few or no positive adult role models.

— 78% of inmates claim to have had a relative in prison and 1 in 40
children in America have an incarcerated parent.

— The national recidivism rate is about 75%.

— The recidivism rate at the Women’s prison in Grants, New
Mexico is one of the highest in the nation – 82%! And 82% of the
inmates claim to be mothers.

— Over 50% of the children who have a parent in prison NEVER visit
their parent in prison.

— At least 33% of black men in their twenties are incarcerated or
on probation.

— The prison population has more than doubled in the past 10 years.

— If current trends continue, 1 in 20 Americans will be
incarcerated in their lifetime.

— There are at least 2.5 million children in this country who have
incarcerated parents.

— In New Mexico there are approximately 6,000 children of
prisoners (5,000 in Bernalillo County – Albuquerque area).

— New Mexico rates poorly in comparison to the rest of the nation
in the way we care for our children.

1.

One of every four children (26%) in New Mexico lives in poverty, making
it the 3rd poorest state for children.

2.

New Mexico is the 4th highest ranked state for teen births, and 3rd
highest for teen death rate due to accident, homicide or suicide.

3.

The high school drop-out rate nationwide improved since 1990, but New
Mexico’s drop out rate worsened to 11%.

Click here
to learn who our dedicated and committed Board Members are.

List of Participating Churches

There are over 110 churches and at least 18 different denominations currently
participating in the Wings Ministry. To view the list of participating churches,
click here.

Comments of Support

Our Supporters are growing every day. Below you can read some comments our supporters' have left us.

"I appreciate what Wings does for justice involved families and I think it is worth supporting."
Sarah Clawson, NMCD Education Bureau
March 15, 2012

"Ann has a compelling message and mission to the prison community and their families. Whether it be an offender, a child of an inmate, a correctional officer or the warden of a prison, Ann shares no matter where you are in life's journey, you're a child of God and that Jesus loves you. Ann's ministry through WINGS is one of encouragement, support, and resources primarily to those families who are standing alone on the outside while their loved one serves their time in prison. She is dedicated to keeping families together through this arduous journey."
Cheryl Sartain, Residential Real Estate Marketing Specialist
May 15, 2012

Letters of Support

Our Supporters are growing every day. Click on the links below to view some our
supporters' letters in Adobe® PDF Format:

Wings Ministry brings families of prisoners, probationers, and former inmates
together with caring Christian volunteers and is determined to provide a safe and
supportive environment for everyone.

Wings Ministry cannot allow participation by any person convicted as a sex
offender. This protects program participants and ensures that offenders do not
violate the terms of their probation/parole.

Because the Wings Ministry believes everyone is a child of God, any person
restricted from attending a Wings Party or Wings for L.I.F.E. event will be
referred (with their permission) to an appropriate ministry and/or program.

The Wings Ministry Safety Policy Statement will be printed on all sign-in
registration forms and agendas. All attendees are required to sign in at the
registration table using Wings Ministry registration forms.

Any person on probation and/or parole attending a Wings for L.I.F.E. event must
check the appropriate box on the registration form and name his/her PPO and
contact phone number. Wings for L.I.F.E. personnel will contact the appropriate
probation/parole officer for approval to ensure that the probationer gets
community service credit, if applicable.

All Wings Parties and Wings for L.I.F.E. events are organized and set-up in a way
to follow the most up-to-date safety practices.

Wings Ministry reserves the right to ask a guest to leave an event if his/her
behavior is threatening or inappropriate.

All Wings Parties and Wings for L.I.F.E. events are drug, alcohol, and weapons
free.

Violence, property damage, or verbal abuse will not be tolerated at any Wings
Party or Wings for L.I.F.E. event.

Out of respect for everyone, all participants at Wings Parties and Wings for
L.I.F.E. events are encouraged to dress appropriately.

No volunteer will EVER be alone in a private area with anyone at a Wings Party or
Wings for L.I.F.E. event.

No volunteer EVER takes a non-family member to the restroom.

All Wings Parties and Wings for L.I.F.E. events will include an
orientation/training that will review these safety policy statements.

To be considered a Certified Wings Volunteer, one needs to complete a NCIC,
prison, or other approved background check. Only Certified Wings Volunteers will
be allowed to wear a Wings Ministry T-shirt.

Certified Wings Volunteers and board members are encouraged to attend training in
sexual harassment prevention, non-discrimination policies, and to review current
safety policies on an annual basis.

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and Developmental Assets®
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